How Can I Be Sure the CogAT Exam will Accurately Reflect my Child’s Intelligence?

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - October 27th, 2011

If you already know that your child is exceptionally bright, through testing or simply by observing their abilities, it’s only natural to be a bit apprehensive when they take a test such as the CogAT exam. After all, a poor score is often looked upon as grounds for supplemental education, which you know your child doesn’t need. You feel they’re more suitable for a gifted class.

The single most important thing a parent can do to ensure that the CogAT exam accurately reflects their child’s intelligence is to take stress out of the situation. Many students have a certain level of “natural” test anxiety, and large tests such as the CogAT exam are naturally more stressful. A parent can help their child greatly by teaching them good test-taking skills (many tutoring services offer this) and by ensuring that they don’t put too much pressure on themselves. An anxious student is much more likely to make thoughtless mistakes or over-think the test, resulting in inaccurately poor results. A relaxed student is more likely to perform to their true potential.